Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 262: Star, Hoshikjang (3)

Meanwhile, in a small room, where the floor and wallpaper were adorned with all sorts of cute characters, and lace curtains that seemed as if they belonged in a princess’ room hung beautifully from the ceiling... Below the very lacy curtains, a girl was playing house with several adorable dolls.

“Pssssh, boom! Teddy Bear said, ‘Mwahaha, anyone who challenges me gets eaten! I’m the king of this mountain!’ Teddy Bear was very scary, so the shepherds and puppies were really, really scared of Teddy Bear…” the girl cried out as she picked up a teddy bear that was as big as her torso. She then swung the teddy bear’s fist, destroying a toy block castle. She continued, “The people on the mountain became scared too, because Teddy Bear told them, ‘Give me something tasty right now.’ Then…”

“My lady! My lady, my lady!”

The girl’s doll play quickly came to an end as she was suddenly interrupted by an uninvited guest. With a thud, the door to her room slammed open, and Sebastian, the girl’s butler, hurriedly ran inside.

“Ah, what now?! I was in the middle of my…!” the girl began.

“Now isn’t the time to care about that kind of thing! It’s an emergency!” Sebastian interrupted her.

“…That kind of thing?” the girl suddenly asked.

“They showed up at the end…!” Sebastian shouted.

“…What I’m doing is just stuff?!” the girl continued.

Sebastian was about to continue, but he realized that his tongue had slipped after hearing the girl’s voice turn cold. Up until a moment before, she had been a very adorable and lovely girl, but as her gaze turned chilly, the air around her became wicked and gloomy.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…!

It was Eon Wind, the wind that normally only appeared in a plane that was on the verge of <Extinction>. However, the girl’s Eon Wind was also infused with demonic and evil energies; it turned into a whirlwind that brutally tore up the walls and floor. Her blocks and other toys were swept away in the wind, as if the world inside the room were coming to an end.

The girl’s dolls, however, underwent many changes. One end of the cute teddy bear’s mouth turned up, revealing a set of hideous fangs. Meanwhile, her Barbie dolls turned into ominous witches wearing black cloaks. All the dolls turned evil and acted as if they were going to attack Sebastian.

“Eeeeekkk!” Sebastian cried, turning pale. He was also a Changgwi, so he could see many things at that moment. The shadow of death… was slowly approaching him.

[Doll Play] was the Trait and Authority of Dria, Sebastian’s master. Although Dria had fallen and was now just one of the five Gulhons trapped in this small Changgwi Cave, she had been a notorious Celestial with the divine name ‘Not-So-Adorable Puppeteer’.

[Doll Play] was the technique Dria had created using her Eon Wind, which she had inherited from her mother, Ithaca. However, it was mainly focused on controlling a target precisely rather than delivering a destructive attack. By controlling the wind around her target, she could make said target her puppet, ignoring their free will.

Dria’s land did not seem particularly different from the other Gulhons’ lands, but her subordinates were vastly better than the other Gulhons’. Not only could she kidnap famous Changgwis from other floors to make them into her puppets, she could also put restrictions on other Gulhons.

That was precisely what happened next. The moment Dria gave her order, the dolls she had been playing with began acting like living creatures. As she had the Eon Wind, the air of death always followed her, so Sebastian could not help but become afraid, thinking he could be eaten on the spot. He shivered, unable to even think about running away. The more the dolls strode toward him, the more the shadow of death deepened, and the louder his fearful hiccups got.

At that moment, a woman in a maid outfit showed up and saw how messy the room had become. She heaved a very long sigh and said, “…I was wondering what was going on. Phew!”

“E-Emma! P-P-Please s-save me! Lady Dria is trying to kill… Eeeeek! I’m going to die! I’m going to die! Save meeee!” Sebastian shouted at the top of his lungs.

“…Her snail doll touched your leg. That’s all,” Emma said, glancing down.

Sebastian was easily frightened and overdramatic; in contrast, Emma was calm and rational. Thus, Emma shook her head in disbelief as she looked at Sebastian, who shivered as he grabbed onto her skirt tightly.

Emma only wished for one quiet day, but it seemed that today would not be that day. Sighing, she looked at her master, who was pouting girlishly, and asked, “Did this idiot make a mistake again, my lady?”

Although it was unbefitting of the air in the room, Dria puffed her cheeks up and said, “That bastard…!”

“Language, my lady,” Emma said.

“…He said that me playing house was just stuff!” Dria continued, pointing at Sebastian.

Emma quickly looked at Sebastian, asking, “Is that true?”

“N-No! That’s not what I said! I-I just said ‘that kind of thing’…!” Sebastian protested.

“It was a mistake, but it was still wrong of you to do so. Pay for your mistake,” Emma said politely.

“W-W-Wait…!” Sebastian stuttered.

“My lady, do as you wish,” Emma said.

“Okay!” Dria exclaimed.

“Noooooo!” Sebastian shouted in despair, but Dria’s dolls had already grabbed his legs and started dragging him away.

Crash, clatter…

“Arrrrggghhh!” Sebastian yelled as he squirmed around, trying to avoid the dolls’ grip. As a punishment(?) for getting on Dria’s nerves, he would have to become a toy soldier for three days.

Meanwhile, Emma looked around the messy room and sighed; she had a feeling that the room was irreparable. On top of that, all of Dria’s toys were shattered. She requested, “I don’t mind you playing house or making more toys, but can you please play while keeping your room tidy?”

Putting her hands on her waist, Dria pompously said, “Hmph! Everything is mine anyway, so it’s up to me!”

“Cleaning all these things is actually my job, my lady,” Emma said.

“Hmph! I can clean up well enough!” Dria protested.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cleaning up,” Emma said, tilting her head.

“I just need a little more time than other people!” Dria replied.

“...Yup, I see,” Emma said with a nod.

“What’s with the pause? You don’t believe me, do you?” Dria asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Pfft. I do. Pfft. Disrespectfully think so. Pfft,” Emma said, suppressing a laugh.

“You laughed at me! Besides, you just said that you do, not that you don’t!” Dria shrieked.

“You know the idiom ‘making your bed and having to lie in it’, don’t you?” Emma replied.

“Hey! You’re going to keep making fun of me, huh? If you continue to do this, I’ll make you into a toy soldier, just like Sebastian!” Dria declared.

“Yes, please. Then I’ll be able to rest in the meantime,” Emma said.

“Huh? That wasn’t the answer I was looking for…” Dria trailed off.

Dria and Emma bickered incessantly, but it was always Emma, Dria’s nanny, who won the quarrels. Quietly sighing again, Emma said, “Anyway, please don’t disregard Sebastian’s report.”

“Hmph! It’s basically those guys showing up in our front yard!” Dria remarked.

‘Those guys’ were the main cause of the commotion that had started in the Changgwi Cave at some point. Dria rarely mentioned anyone specific like this, not even her fellow Gulhons.

When the newcomer first appeared, Dria had not cared about him one bit. Even after she heard the news that the rookie had eliminated the Hongsal King, the ruler of the first and second floors, she had just thought of it as another talented newcomer entering the Changgwi Cave. There had occasionally been others who caused such commotions among the people who had entered the Changgwi Cave after being bewitched by <Starlight>.

Nevertheless, Dria had believed that the newcomer would eventually give up and be defeated. However, that was not because the difficulty level of the Changgwi Cave went up as a newcomer went to a higher floor. It was due to the Changgwi Cave’s curse, which was being trapped in a boundless swamp. Even if one managed to survive in the Changgwi Cave, which was filled with death, and return to the real world, the curse activated every twenty hours and ruined one’s life… It was enough to make one feel suffocated.

Thus, Dria had believed that the newcomer would meet the same end, but she was completely wrong. Conquering floors one after another, the newcomer had been building up a group and conducting experiments. After acquiring all sorts of Skills and Traits in the Changgwi Cave, the group had tried them out, practiced organizing themselves into formations, and trained themselves. Now, they were on the ninth and last floor. Dria assumed that the other Gulhons were no doubt panicking right now.

“Don’t worry. No matter how skilled they are, they won’t be able to defeat me,” Dria said without a single hint of concern. She was very confident in her skills, and besides, she had been a Celestial. As such, she found the thought of a mere mortal posing a threat funny. She continued, “Even if they’re stronger than I expected, they’ll be helpless within my land.”

The reason why Gulhons were called the kings of the Changgwis was that they became as powerful as demigods within their land. However, Emma’s expression was still grim. She firmly shook her head and said, “No, I don’t think this is a matter you can think lightly of.”

“What are you talking about? Wait, are you doubting my…?!” Dria protested.

“That isn’t what I’m talking about. I’ve been your servant for the longest time, so I know what you’re capable of better than anyone else,” Emma interrupted.

“Then?” Dria asked.

“Although no traces were found until now, we recently detected the traces of a familiar power,” Emma said.

“A familiar power…?” Dria asked, tilting her head in confusion. She eventually came to a realization, her large eyes widening as she began, “Wait?”

“It was Eon Wind, and one of the traces… was actually Retribution Wind,” Emma said. Retribution Wind was practically the origin of the Eon Wind. With a heavy heart, she nodded grimly and continued, “It seems master…!”

“I’m your master, so watch it!” Dria snapped.

“…I’m sorry, my lady. It seems your mother or someone related to her showed up with your sister,” Emma said.

Dria bit her lower lip hard. It had already been thousands of years since she was trapped here, so she had believed that she would not be able to meet any of those people. However, one of them had showed up here, so she could no longer say anything.

* * *

[You have entered ‘Maze Mountain’!]

[The Stage you have just entered has three rules.]

[Firstly, ‘night’ can arrive at any time in this Stage. At ‘night’, the roads become complicated and can lead a person anywhere, so take caution.]

[Secondly, no matter how many times you hear plaintive wailing, gesturing, or pleading, do not look in that direction.]

[Thirdly, do not believe your instincts, senses, or even colleagues. Always doubt everything.]

[Follow the rules while preparing for the invasion of a ‘Gulhon’, which can start at any time.]

After Jin and Sinmara left, Chang-Sun arrived at the entrance of a craggy mountain, which his [Gnostic Eye] had led him to. Among the five Gulhons, this was the land of a Gulhon that smelled similar to Armand. It seemed ‘Maze Mountain’ was the name of that Gulhon’s land.

“Cadmus,” Chang-Sun called out.

Kiyoooo―!

The answer to Chang-Sun’s call came from the sky. When Chang-Sun looked up, he saw Cadmus circling around the mountain to observe it, one of its eyes shining radiantly like Chang-Sun’s [Gnostic Eye].

[Sharing your ‘Gnostic Eye’ through your ‘Ferocious Heart’!]

[Ferocious Heart] could now be used to share Chang-Sun’s Skills and Authorities.

“What can you see?” Chang-Sun asked.

Kiyoo, kiyoooo!

Cadmus howled incomprehensibly, but Chang-Sun quickly understood what it meant. He said, “Do it properly, or else you won’t have any dinner today.”

Kiyooo! Kiyoooo!

Cadmus howled for a very long time. What it was saying could roughly be summed up as…

―Stop the overtime!

―No more free labor!

“…Where did you hear all those words?” Chang-Sun wondered, starting to feel that Cadmus had recently started to slack off more often. Cadmus had undoubtedly grown up a lot, so had it entered a rebellious phase or something?

[Sharing the view of your Subordinate ‘Cadmus’ through your ‘Gnostic Eye’.]

Chang-Sun now had a full view of the mountain range through Cadmus’ eyes. Although he had the [Gnostic Eye], he had not accumulated a sufficient amount of gnosis, so he could see very little with the eye. However, it was different for Cadmus. It was an Evil Dragon, a dragon that embodied the evil attribute, and on top of that, it had a dormant power granted by Mephistopheles. Perhaps because of those reasons, Cadmus could see more with the [Gnostic Eye] than Chang-Sun.

Thanks to Cadmus, Chang-Sun was able to observe all the changes across ‘Maze Mountain’. Red energy surrounded the mountain, but the trees and terrain were not particularly unique compared to other mountains. One key difference was that Changgwis were roaming all around the forest. However, those Changgwis were very different from the ones on the other floors. All their eyes were blank, and their flesh was rotten, exuding white poison. They looked a great deal like zombies.

‘Ordinary Changgwis are still rational even if they aren’t strong, but those Changgwis seem incapable of reasoning… Did they become stronger because they were only left with instinct?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

Judging from their auras alone, they all appeared to be as strong as a Yiol, a noble class Changgwi. Somehow, Chang-Sun was able to tell who those Changgwis were.

‘They were trapped in the Changgwi Cave for too long, so their personalities and egos broke down…’

In other words, this was what came of the demise of a Changgwi. As Chang-Sun had sent all his soldiers elsewhere due to the fact that there were too many of them, it would be quite bothersome to deal with them all at once on his own.

‘She’s pretty remarkable, to be able to control that many Changgwis at once.’

Besides…

‘That must be the ‘night’ mentioned in the quest description.’

…behind those Changgwis, a thick cloud of darkness crept down the mountain, slowly passing through the trees. Once the darkness swallowed those Changgwis, they began howling even more loudly.

Kieeeh!

Keeeeh! Eeeek!

That was not all.

Creeaaak!

Rumble…

‘It seems that when the ‘night’ arrives, the entire forest and the terrain both change. That’s why this place is called a maze.’

The entire mountain range was changing, leaving small aftershocks in its wake. Be careful not to get lost in the ‘night’, ignore wailing and pleading, don’t believe his senses… Chang-Sun could now tell why such rules existed.

‘This kind of abnormal phenomenon normally has a cause,’ Chang-Sun thought, focusing his mana into his [Gnostic Eye].

He could see more clearly through Cadmus’ eyes and observe the inside of the dark cloud in more detail. Although Chang-Sun had initially thought the darkness spread over the mountain like fog, it actually behaved more like a breeze that blew at regular intervals. If Chang-Sun observed the breeze upstream…!

‘I got her,’ Chang-Sun thought, smiling crookedly.

A girl who appeared to be twelve years old sat on a ledge, sucking on a big lollipop. Seemingly having fun, she hummed and waved her legs in the air. Just like the other Changgwis, her skin was pale, but she looked like a younger version of Ithaca.

『Can I ask for a favor?』

At that moment, Armand showed up beside Cadmus and asked Chang-Sun a question.

“What is it?” Chang-Sun replied.

『Before you attack her, give me time to persuade my sister. I’ll get her to join our side.』

Armand voiced her request.

“I can do that much, but I have no other choice if she doesn’t listen,” Chang-Sun said.

『Thank you.』

Armand heaved a sigh of relief.

Just then, the girl stopped humming and looked to the right, noticing something. She saw through the ‘night’ and met Cadmus’ [Gnostic Eye]. The girl jumped down from the ledge in surprise, but…

‘It’s too late,’ Chang-Sun thought. His [Ferocious Heart] was already beginning to race.

Badump, badump, badump―!